The Tide Turns!

Okay, so now that I can sit back and take a deep breath, I have to admit we're pretty kickass at this whole parenting thing! We're 5 weeks in and I have to say (knock on wood), we've got this thing figured out. Obviously that's all going to change as soon as I go back to work, but... well we're going to celebrate our victories while we can.

Our Little Nugget (one of his many nicknames... see also, "The Dictator" (we are planning to dress him up as Kim Jong Il for Halloween this year - all we need is a khaki jumpsuit and some aviators, he's got the hair all set), "Stinker," "Lil Fatso," "Pouty McGee," "Fartbox," "Nacho Bean the Fart Machine" and many more) went to the doctor this week for his one-month appointment. The doc gave him a clean bill of health and declared he is "growing like a leaf." I'm not really sure how well leaves grow, so this seems like an odd expression. But anyhow, he's in the 95th percentile for both height and weight (and only the 75th for head size, which makes me happy because I get teased OFTEN for my giant head). He's a tank!

He's only waking up once in the night (3 am - 4 am) and is generally pretty content the rest of the time - as long as he gets enough to eat. BUT, if you so much as pull the bottle away from him, the tyrant FREAKS OUT. The only other freakouts occur when he's bored, and honestly I can't blame the kid. Being stuck inside due to 115 degree temperatures and a tiny baby is definitely driving me INSANE, so I can relate. We do our best to keep him occupied with tummy time, Beth's terribly corny songs, dancing, music, rattles and anything else we can think of!

All in all, it's going GREAT! Oh, and last week he learned how to smile... not a "gas" smile, but a real, bonafide, in-response-to-my-smile kind of smile. It came right at the end of a long fussy spell (right when Geoff and I were about to crack) and it was just magical. I even spurted a few tears of happiness :)

Here are some pics from weeks 2-4. We're in love!